Medicare fraud said to be growing in Florida

Reuters reports that in an October 22, 2007 posting that Medicare fraud is a growing problem in Florida.

The article says that one Miami-area medical equipment supplier repeatedly billed the government for the same wheelchair, resulting in a cost to Medicare of $5 million.

South Florida’s 2006 Medicare tab for HIV/AIDS drugs was 80 percent of the national total, even though only 10 percent of eligible HIV/AIDS patients live there.

The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Alex Acosta, spoke to Reuters about his office’s efforts to combat Medicare fraud schemes, which may be rivaling drug trafficking as the crime of choice in the area.